By now wev'e all heard the breaking news: A male high school student can wear a skirt to school after the American Civil Liberties Union reached an agreement with school officials.
Fox NewsI don't know about you but I can sleep much better now.
The district's dress code bans shorts between Oct. 1 and April 15, but allows skirts, a policy which one male student believes is discriminatory. The ACLU rides in on their androgynous horse and poof!..problem solved.
Or has it just begun?
Some will say this is NoT the issue here, but there are many layers to this onion.
Men and women have dressed differently from the dawn of civilization and despite efforts to gender neutralize and androgynize society..they always
will.Why is that?
Some will holler its all cultural conditioning and gender role socialization, and while that plays a part no doubt, the inherent differences between men and women remain inescapable.
There are functional differences between the sexes with respect to world view, behavior,attitudes and even temperament.Ask any parent of sons and daughters.
Sure, there are some exceptions to some of the normative differences but all political correctness aside for the moment..let's talk
Facts.By age 13 a female's muscle tissue consitutes 45% of her total body, then decreases somewhat.
By age 17,a male's muscle tissue constitutes 54% of his total body weight.
At age 16,the total muscle mass of women is 80% of the total muscle mass of man.
Women's bodies average 27% fat. Men's bodies average 15% fat.
While women ages 18-74 on average, weigh approximately 143 lbs; Men on average weigh 173.(Almanac of the American People,1988)
Hormonal secretion in the adult male is continous rather than cyclic, as in the female. It consists primarily of testosterone (a.k.a. the 'macho hormone').Women have two sex hormones,estrogen and progesterone which vary in their relationship at different times.
Do bodily differences and hormonal really differences matter?
You decide. 88% of those arrested for murder are male.
Nearly 3,000 women are murdered by men each year.
Nearly 30,000 men are arrested for rape every year.
Over 100,000 men are arrested for robbery every year.
Nearly 89% of those arrested for aggravated assault are male compared to 13% female.
Nearly 89% of those arrested for arson yearly are male compared to 14% female.
It is generally recognized that the experience of sexual harassment is highly gendered. Most incidences of sexual harassment involve men harassing women.
US Merit systems production board Who are you more afraid of alone in an elevator or in a dark alley..a man or a woman?
Nearly 30% of women dress more conservatively due to fear of crime; 62% of women are afraid to walk at night within a mile of their homes versus 29% of males.
Men comprise 80% of today's Military.
Close to 97% of US Firefighters are male.According to the NY Times, Monday, Jan.23,06-"..in the NYCity Fire Dept., the nations largest..only 36 of the 11,0430 uniformed firefighters are female.
Nearly 89% of police and detectives are male.
Who would you-
for the most part- rather have defend you
physically ..a man or woman?
But I overstate the point. Men and women are different.
Do the "clothes make the man"?
Women,
as a group- have always and will always dress to please men.(hence the really comfortable and utilitarian stilleto heel)
They accentuate thier femininity and adorn themselves in every culture in the world (which allows it). They seek to be desired by the male, which may be an intrinsic quality to some extent.
Skirts have been worn by some cultures for modesty, so as not to reveal the feminine form as closely as pants can.
Some have chosen quite the contrary-wearing skirts to showcase female anatomy, specifically thighs and legs as a means of attracting the male.( the tight micro-mini skirt, hotpants)
Men,for the most part, on the contrary, dress more for utilitarian purposes and less for showcasing specific parts of the male anatomy. Hence the suit and tuxedo at a formal affair and for accepting an Academy Award versus the women's fashion show of form fitting gowns ,with plunging neck and back lines,jewelry, exotic hair styling and make up to enhance the female appeal.
Before you jump down my throat, I am aware that some of the fierciest warriors throughout history have gone to war in kilts. Prince Charles of Wales was often seen in his kilt. Hawaiian men in grass skirts,Middle Eastern men have worn kaftans, Balinese men in sarongs, Turks in wraps.
For daily living, men in western society,have generally never chosen the skirt as an article of clothing.
Furthermore,proponents of an individual-centered and a
"gender-different" view hold that men and women dressing differently maintains a sharp demarcation between the sexes, which is actually
healthy for gender identification and social functioning.
In other words, boys should know they are boys and girls should know they are girls.
As long as this is not used for misogyny or bias against either gender, it actually sets firm ego boundaries and helps girls and boys feel "normal" when they exhibit gender specific qualities.
But of course the ACLU and the political correctness machine would have you think there is no such thing as gender specific qualities...now wouldn't they?
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